Say Ahhh!
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New Report: Hatch-Upton-Pitts Proposal Would Shift Costs to States and Move Backward on Kids’ Coverage
As state legislatures work to finalize their state budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1 in most states, they are still uncertain about whether or not CHIP will be fully funded by Congress. A new report by Edwin Park at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorites explains the dilemma facing…
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Employed and Uninsured: Many Uninsured Working Adults Would Benefit from Medicaid Expansion
As states considering Medicaid expansion explore their options in program design, work requirements have surfaced as part of the debate. While work requirements perhaps serve as a strong talking point in reluctant states, a recent report from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured finds that the majority of those who stand to benefit…
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Republicans Introduce Discussion Draft of Plan to Extend (S)CHIP Funding – And There is Much to Discuss…
Today the Republican Senate and House health leadership — House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA), full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) — released a discussion draft of a bill to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (more on the name…
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Many Qualify for Affordability Exemption to Tax Penalty
With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we at Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and the Center for Children and Families have been providing technical assistance to Navigators and assisters in a handful of states, helping answer the questions they receive from consumers. As the second open enrollment period (OE2) winds down and attention turns…
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Why Should Pregnancy Trigger an SEP? The Risks and Impact of going without Prenatal Care
As OE2 comes to a close, we are thinking more and more about the particulars when it comes to Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) and who may qualify in the upcoming months. SEPs provide an opportunity for individuals to enroll in health insurance after a major life-changing events such as getting married, moving, losing a job,…
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Early Returns From Iowa’s Health and Wellness Plan: Are Healthy Behavior Programs Working?
Being healthier is a good thing, so it’s appealing for policymakers to insert the issue into their Medicaid expansion debates but so far healthy behavior programs set up by states for their Medicaid beneficiaries are producing more talking points and red-tape than results. It’s still early though, so we will keep watching, but count me…
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Critiquing the Performance as the Curtain Closes on OE2
A big round of applause as the curtain drops at the end of the second open enrollment period for the health insurance marketplaces with more than 11 million people signing up at the box office. OE2, as it’s affectionately called, was part sequel, part new production. Throughout its run, which was just over half the…
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States Increase Pressure on Congress to Renew CHIP Funding
By Sophia Duong States are applying more pressure on Congress to take swift action to extend CHIP funding. The National Governor’s Association (NGA) is set to hold their Winter meeting this weekend, February 20-23. But before the meeting even begins, the NGA took action on CHIP by sending a strong letter to the leaders of…
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Medicaid Expansion in Utah: Good for Working Parents & Kids
In Utah, where one in ten children lack health insurance coverage, extending Medicaid coverage for parents is an effective strategy to boost children’s enrollment rates. Governor Gary Herbert’s proposed Healthy Utah Plan would expand Medicaid eligibility and insure tens of thousands of low-income adults. Uninsured parents account for over one-third of the population potentially eligible…
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Answers to Tough Q’s from Navigators, Assisters, Brokers, Tax Advisors About ACA Coverage
[Editor’s Note: Open Enrollment is officially closed but HHS announced that those trying to enroll on February 15 may be eligible for an extension until February 22. ] By JoAnn Volk, Tricia Brooks, Sabrina Corlette and Sandy Ahn As open enrollment (often called “OE2”) for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act draws to a…
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New Children’s Health Insurance Program Bills Introduced
Senate and House Democrats celebrated Valentine’s Day by introducing bills to extend CHIP funding through 2019. Senate Democrats, led by Senator Sherrod Brown, have co-sponsored S.522, “Protecting & Retaining Our Children’s Health Insurance Program Act of 2015 (PRO-CHIP)”. On the House Side, Representative Gene Green introduced companion bill H.R.919. The Senate bill would extend the…
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Cuts to Medicaid Pregnancy Coverage: Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
By Tricia Brooks and Sophia Duong, Maryland and Ohio are considering rolling back Medicaid coverage for pregnant women. Currently, Maryland’s eligibility level is at 259% FPL, and Ohio’s eligibility threshold rests at 200% FPL (not including the standard 5 percentage point disregard). Governors Hogan and Kasich’s proposed budgets cut these eligible income levels, but how…
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Arkansas Approves Private Option Improving Security for Families, Hospitals & State Budget
By Marquita Little, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families Arkansas’s unique approach to Medicaid expansion, known as the Private Option, has been a success during its short lifespan. However, some state policy makers want to see the program end. Within just a couple weeks of being sworn in as the new Governor, Asa Hutchinson spoke…
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Getting MAGI Right: Current Monthly Income vs. Projected Annual Income
Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes but to further complicate things, there are some differences that apply…
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Arkansas Finds Collecting Medicaid Premiums + Copays from People in Poverty Not Cost Effective
Buried in the nearly enacted move in Arkansas right now to reauthorize the state’s unique “private option” Medicaid expansion while looking at broader Medicaid reforms was a welcome change to the current Medicaid program. You can read about it in detail thanks to Arkansas Times reporter David Ramsey here. The bottom line is it became…
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Lessons in the Defeat of Tennessee Governor Haslam’s Medicaid Expansion Plan
In a disappointing committee vote yesterday Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s carefully crafted state-specific plan for using federal Medicaid expansion dollars was rejected. A state budget cost-neutral financing mechanism through hospital fees and multiple other provisions that would have made the plan a significant showcase of conservative health policy ideas were not enough to obtain legislative…
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Getting MAGI Right: Changes to Income Counting Rules in Medicaid and CHIP
Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes in Medicaid and CHIP, but to further complicate things, there are…
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How Do Updated 2015 Federal Poverty Level Thresholds Impact Medicaid, CHIP & Premium Tax Credit Eligibility?
Over the weekend, Healthcare.gov uploaded the new 2015 federal poverty levels (FPL) to use in assessing eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP. What does this mean to consumers applying for coverage? Let’s start with eligibility for Marketplace subsidies. For 2015 calendar year coverage, regardless of when someone applies or enrolls, eligibility is based on the 2014…
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Getting MAGI Right: When Does Social Security Income Count?
Last week, we released a primer on the basics of MAGI – how rules for counting household size and income to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP have been aligned with Marketplace subsidies. The move to MAGI has brought about a number of changes in Medicaid and CHIP, but to further complicate things, there are…
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Millions Gain Coverage Through Affordable Care Act – What’s Medicaid Got to Do With It?
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released Medicaid enrollment data that sheds light into how many people have gained Medicaid coverage though the Affordable Care Act. According to CMS, more than 3.2 million Medicaid beneficiaries were able to sign up for Medicaid in 22 expansion states because they fell into the…